Committee advances Insurance Consumer Protection Act with amendment requiring public posting of approved rate increases

Committee adds advocate role and a public-posting requirement for approved rate hikes.

The House Budget and Fiscal Affairs Oversight Committee advanced a substitute version of the Insurance Consumer Protection Act, a bill that creates an insurance consumer advocate to represent consumer interests in rate filings and to report to the legislature. Representative Tanya Miller (sponsor) told the committee the advocate would not cap rates or change the commissioner's ultimate authority but would add a consumer perspective early in rate negotiations.

Miller described the substitute (LC521027S) as incorporating committee input and as a transparency measure: the advocate and the commissioner would report to the legislature, the advocate or designees would advise committee chairs on insurance matters when requested, and the commissioner would be authorized to account for inflation when adjusting increases. Miller said the role is intended to improve public access to information in a process that often involves proprietary claims by insurers.

During debate Representative Ridley proposed an amendment requiring that any approved rate increase be "clearly posted on the home page of the department's website" with the insurer's name and a detailed explanation of why the increase was necessary. Legislative counsel recommended inserting the language into Section 11 (near line 370); the committee agreed to add the requirement as a new subsection. Members debated presentation details (Ridley suggested a minimum font size to ensure visibility, while others said font size language was unnecessary), but the committee agreed to stronger website-posting and reporting requirements.

A motion for "do pass" on the substitute as amended was made and seconded; the chair called the vote and the committee approved the substitute. The transcript records the motion as made by "Jasmine" and records an affirmative vote; no roll-call tally appears in the provided transcript.

What happens next: The substitute, as amended, will move forward in the House process. The requirement for the department to post approved rate increases is likely to increase public visibility into the commissioner's decisions, though the transcript does not specify implementation timing or appropriation for any web-publication costs.